Festival Coverage

By: Addison Wylie A dangerous plague has wiped out most of humanity within wide proximity of Refuge’s main family. The secluded family has stowed themselves away in their crumbling abode as life around them breaks down and dawns a bleak future. Refuge isn’t a film where the infected are on the hunt for the living. Andrew Robertson’s slow burn is a study of survival as the human race turns on each other. Unkempt gangs roam…

By: Addison Wylie With recent horror anthologies, it seems as though the first instalment serves as an extreme experimental period. There’s a foreboding feeling of failure when making a project that draws in different visions from all over a filmmaking pallet, but horror nuts who are true to their craft will let their audacious attitudes plow through anything resembling an obstacle. This was a clear example for the V/H/S series – an easy comparison to…

By: Addison Wylie The manipulation of time can lend itself to enticing stories and conflicted characters. Time Lapse would’ve delivered on both of those, but filmmaker Bradley King’s melodramatic presentation robs the audience of anything intriguing. Time Lapse wisely keeps its narrative between three leads. Those roles are filled out by Matt O’Leary, Danielle Panabaker, and George Finn who all appear and act as if their characters should be a few years older. Those close-knit…

By: Addison Wylie It’s funny to see Entertainment One attached to Wolves. It almost acts as an apology to werewolf fanatics who may have been bothered by the studio’s Twilight series. Even though Wolves wipes our memories of Taylor Lautner and his chiseled abs sprinting through the woods, David Hayter’s toothy flick isn’t anything too special. It’s a serviceable film with pop-up gems. Cayden is at that usual stage a young man hits in his…

By: Addison Wylie Suburban Gothic is…weird. And, not that good kind of “weird” that Toronto After Dark joyfully uncovers through obscure titles. It’s a movie that makes you ask questions. Questions like: What is Suburban Gothic? Better yet, what genre is Suburban Gothic? Is it a comedy? Is it a horror? Better yet, is it a horror/comedy? If so, how can it be a comedy when it’s this stupefyingly unfunny? How can it be a…

By: Addison Wylie The sporadic weather and the dropping temperature suggests that watching movies at a classy venue is the best way to stay snug. Lucky for you, the Reel Indie Film Fest rolls into Toronto this week. The festival opens Tuesday, October 14 at 7:00 pm with Greg Olliver’s Johnny Winter: Down & Dirty and wraps up on Saturday, October 18 at 9:30 pm with the intriguingly titled March of the Gods: Botswana Metalheads….

The Toronto Youth Shorts Film Festival is a terrific way for young filmmakers to enter the scene. It’s a festival run by responsible believers who maintain faith in future generations of storytellers. The film festival has also given hard-working individuals a deserving premiere in an appreciated Toronto-bound theatrical venue. The awards ceremony is an added bonus to those seeking genuine recognition, as well as constructive criticism by a panel of educated peers. This year, movie…

By: Addison Wylie For a while, Atlantic. was the most relaxed I had felt at this year’s festival. Incredibly shot sequences of Fettah windsurfing across the infinite drink eased me into a trance. Its angelic score cradling the audience is the final nuance Atlantic. has that completely sends us into adoration with these moments of Jan-Willem van Ewijk’s tranquil tale. Alas, Atlantic. follows a bothersome and oddly common theme at this year’s TIFF. Atlantic. eventually drifts…

By: Addison Wylie We return to the Short Cuts Canada programmes to take a look at a few films that aren’t afraid to get “real”. Well, “real” in surreal surroundings and under crazy circumstances. These three shorts may be tales out of a book (certainly in the case of The Underground), but the emotion conveyed is what makes these stories come alive. They hit and miss various points, but the risks these filmmakers take are nothing…

By: Addison Wylie Wet Bum features a superb performance by TIFF Rising Star Julia Sarah Stone. Her helpless presence draws us in, as if we feel the need to lend her a shoulder to cry on. But, it’s her earnest portrayal of fourteen-year-old outsider Sam that signifies the puzzling phases of fitting in among your peers, and trying to swallow the lump in your throat when you’re singled out for being different. The film that…